Installation - Kitchen Cabinets 101

Installing or refacing your kitchen cabinets can make an incredible difference in the overall appearance of a home. There are many options for new cabinetry in regards to design, styles and materials. Your local home improvement store can offer you many ideas, some of which you can see as images on a computer.

The first step is to take some measurements, but make sure they are accurate before you begin to shop. This helps you plan your kitchen and save time. Make sure you also take measurements of all the appliances to help achieve a proper cost evaluation and final look of your kitchen.

Many home improvement stores can send out a person to double check any measurements you have taken before your kitchen order is sent in. This ensures the sizing accuracy and final fit of your cabinets.

Kitchen cabinets' sizings are standard. Compared to custom or semi-customed cabinetry, you will be much more limited in the colour and styles available. Most of them offer drawer and simple cabinet stylings, and are generally made of less expensive materials which are perfect in new home construction.

Semi-custom varieties also come in standard type sizes, but you have many more choices in regards to storage, designs and style. You will find a better variety of woods and colours. However, despite their much better quality, they are definitely more expensive.

Semi-custom cabinets also offer varied storage choices. You should compare each one first before making a choice, looking at wine racks, lazy Susans, vertical dividers to accommodate storage trays, pull-out garbage disposal units, and pull-out shelving. All these create a much more organised kitchen. Also take into account your priority storage and lifestyle needs.

The expensive variety are the custom cabinets, which are specifically designed to your kitchen's specifications, incorporating the design, style and sizes you need. However, despite the higher prices, the wood quality and overall fit is much better. You can have a designer visit your home, take all the measurements and work to get you the design that best suits your home.

The next step before making any purchases is to establish your budget - what is affordable and what do you want to spend. As the prices vary between each type of cabinet, your half of your budget should account for cabinetry. Then, evaluate the length of time you plan to stay in your home. If you plan to move in the next couple of years, spend less, but if you plan to stay much longer, budgeting for custom cabinetry may be better.

Never save money and sacrifice quality. You want to live with a decent kitchen, so be sure to check the smooth operation of all showroom cabinets. Rough motion or squeaking is not good. Always go for good construction that will stand the test of time.